The Edo State Government will on Tuesday March 17, 2020 begin registration and licensing of motorcycle and tricycle riders across the 18 Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state as part of efforts by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration to address security challenges in the state.
The Director of Transport, Ministry of Infrastructure, Engr. George Aghahowa, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City, said the new scheme for commercial riders in the state has a benefit of up to N250, 000 Life Insurance, in case of death of any of the riders.
Aghahowa said the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), in collaboration with other public and private bodies, will be in charge of the roll-out of permit to the riders, noting that the move became imperative due to the incessant cases of criminal activities perpetuated by some group of riders around the Benin metropolis.
He explained that the riders permit is an authorisation, issued to motorcycle and tricycle riders as part of efforts by the state government to monitor the influx of persons into the state under the guise of riding motorcycle or tricycle.
“While we are not going to stop their operations, we will not allow the criminally minded ones to hide under the guise of providing transportation to defraud, rape, rob or kidnap our citizens using motorcycles or tricycles. These are some of the reasons we came up with this initiative.
“What we observed among these riders varies from security challenges, deaths and injuries with the riders’ non adherence to traffic rules and regulations; improper dress code by riders; unlicensed motorcycles and tricycles; majority of them are not registered, they don’t have numbered plate; majority of them are not licensed to ride; lack of reliable rider data or statistics planning because as a government we need data for all those that are involved in this particular sub-sector of the state’s economy.
“It is in view of this foregoing that the Edo State Government decided to introduce the Edo State Riders Permit to ensure the safety of lives and property of its citizens, check the influx of persons as well as organise the transportation system in Edo State.”
According to Aghahowa, the scheme is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) that will create an enabling environment for doing business in the state, ranging from a reliable database for all Motorcycle and Tricycle operators, with the government leveraging on it for analysis, planning and distribution of scarce resources.
The director noted that the riders permit comes with some benefits for the riders, adding, “They include the customised reflective jacket with a coded number and the date it was issued crested on it. The code comes with the personal information of the rider, which is required with the payment of the necessary fee of N10,000 that will be imputed into the system and will in turn generate a security number that will be tied to your personal information. In an event of accident or crime being committed by the rider, all his personal information will be displayed to assist the security agents do their job.
“The scheme has some health benefits of up to N250,000, Life insurance, in case of death of any rider, it enables the family of the deceased to have the benefit. The second health benefit is up to N150,000, in case of an accident that may lead to permanent disability; The third Health benefits of up to N50,000, in case, if the rider sustains injury. We use this opportunity to urge all commercial Motorcycle and Tricycle riders to take advantage of the exercise, which is spread across the state. We decided to decentralize it for easy accessibility anywhere across the state”.
Aghahowa continued, “We want to reiterate that the ban on motorcycles within Benin metropolitan city is still in force, while corporate organisations that are into courier and delivery services using motorcycle or tricycles for business are required to obtain operational permit from the Ministry of Infrastructure after proper registration with EIRS.”
